face_with_colon_three Year 2017

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A paper recently published in the journal Nuclear Engineering and Technology demonstrated the feasibility of using graphene to control hydrogen isotopes, specifically tritium.

Study: Adsorption of Hydrogen Isotopes on Graphene. Image Credit: Rost9/Shutterstock.com

Background

Tritium, a fast-decaying radioelement of hydrogen with one proton and two neutrons, is produced by nuclear reactors and by the interaction between cosmic rays and atmospheric particles. Tritium beta can diffuse through several materials, has 12.35 years half-life, and decays into helium-3.